


near, far, wherever you are

by zelocityy



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: 18OI AU Week 2019: Day 5, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Day 5: Soulmates, M/M, is this even an AU when they're literally soulmates anyway???
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 09:34:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19129348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zelocityy/pseuds/zelocityy
Summary: “What’s wrong, detka?"Viktor frowned, "Mama, why can't I hear my soulmate's thoughts like everyone else?"Nadia's heart ached for her son. It wasn't unlikely for people to never meet or come across their soulmate in their lifetimes, but it never crossed her mind that it could very well to happen to her son.She sat on the nearby sofa, patting her lap, "Oh, Vitenka, dear, come here." Viktor slowly padded over to her, still looking quite down and confused. It must've been a shock to dear Viktor, who had, all his life, been exposed to the wonders of meeting one's soulmate.His mother and father have, after all, been soulmates and have been happily married ever since they first met!Viktor only snuggled closer to his mother's warmth, eyes slightly teary. What if he never got to meet his soulmate? What then? Would he ever have someone to love and love him back like his mom and dad? Would he ever be happy like them?Or the Soulmate AU where your soulmate hears your thoughts about him/her when you're near them and see them.Day 5: Soulmates





	near, far, wherever you are

**Author's Note:**

> heya back for day 5!!!
> 
> i'm kinda proud of this one??? but idk y'all decide if it's cute or what  
> this is just going to be 2 chapters long and the next one is about finished - that will be posted asap  
> enjoy!!
> 
> also, if you love YOI as much as we do, come join usand scream about life and love at [18+!!! on ICE Discord](https://discordapp.com/invite/jRXfSXc)  
> we'll have oodles of fun is2g <3

Soulmate AU where your soulmate hears your thoughts about him/her when you're near them and see them.

Note: Yuuri is only two years younger than Viktor. When they first encountered each other, Yuuri was 16 years old while Viktor was 18.

* * *

 

The first time Yuuri fell in love with the ice, he was six. After a year of taking up ballet lessons from Minako, he had finally stepped foot into the cold, cold floor of ice. She had thought that he would like it - make it another interest, even. To say the least, he had more than liked it.

Yuuri had loved the ice, and it seemed to love him just as much. It brought him comfort and warmth, despite what its known for. It hadn't only brought him solace, but also his friends.

Yuuri was a silent kid. He never liked hanging around with kids his age - _not_ when they were too noisy and rowdy. Yuuri would rather keep to himself and be branded a loner than be forced to interact with them. So, when he met Yuko and Takeshi, kids who seemed to love the ice just like him - _he was ecstatic!_

Sure, Takeshi may be too brash and he could be a little rude, and Yuko may always be overexcited about anything and everything, a little oblivious, if Yuuri were to be honest, but it was _something_ , right? For someone like Yuuri, it was certainly better than what people had expected of him.

His family was more than happy for him, seeing as he was finally hanging out with kids his age.

Needless to say, he loved the ice and lived for the exhilaration it brought him every time he skated. But, everything changed one fateful day.

"Yuuri!" Glancing over his shoulder, Yuuri saw Yuko happily rushing to the boards, "You have to see this!"

Yuuri gave her a shy smile and slowly skated towards her, "Hi, Yuko. How are you today?"

"Oh, I'm fine!" She waved him off before she added chidingly, "And I told you to call me Yu-chan! Don't be so formal now! We're already friends, aren't we?"

But Takeshi gave him such a scary look last time he called her that, and Yuuri didn't want to be on the receiving end of the _~~bullying~~_ teasing of the older boy.

Changing the subject, he asked, "So, what was it that you had to show me?"

Yuko's eyes lit up in excitement, "Oh, yeah! I was in the lounge room with Takeshi, watching TV! I saw the Junior Grand Prix was on, and I really, really, really liked this skater, see? Takeshi was being such a grumpy pants and wouldn't even listen to me! But, I know that you would appreciate him, too! So, can you please come and watch with me?" Yuko fluttered her eyes prettily, " _Pretty please?_ "

Yuuri's face was flushed red. "Oh, I, um..."

"Well?"

He breathed out a sigh of surrender and nodded, "Okay."

"Yay!" _Takeshi, please don't kill me._

 

"What is _he_ doing here?" Takeshi eyed him warily, giving him a glare. Yuuri really hadn't signed up for any of this.

Yuko pouted and crossed her arms over her chest, "Oh come _on_ , Takeshi! Yuuri's here to watch the competition with me, of course! Because a _certain someone_ is being such a grumpy pants about it..."

Sputtering, Takeshi tried defending himself as Yuko shrugged him off merrily, settling in her seat, patting the one beside her, "Come sit here, Yuuri!"

Yuuri sighed and nodded meekly, "Okay."

"Ooh, looks like it's about to start!" Yuko clapped her hands excitedly and Takeshi hummed in affirmation, "They just finished warm-ups."

" _Yay!_ " Yuko then had started rambling, "Oh, you have to see my favorite skater, Yuuri! You would absolutely _love_ him!"

Yuuri kept his head down as he listened to Yuko. Squealing, Yuko had started lightly slapping him on the arm in excitement, "There he is! Yuuri, look!"

Yuuri looked up in curiosity, only to be left breathless. Oh, he _loved_ him, alright. Was this person even real?

From that day on, Yuuri's fate was sealed. He had one goal: _to skate on the same ice as Viktor Nikiforov._ To meet him face-to-face as his equal.

Nothing made Yuuri more motivated than the thought of giving his idol a run for his money.

(And the fact that he was, for sure, in love with his so-called idol was not helping.)

 

_“Mama! Mama!”_

The silver-haired woman turned to smile at the approaching child, “Viktor, dear, stop running! You could hurt yourself.”

Viktor clutched onto her leg, pouting, “I won’t! I’m a big boy now!”

She sighed fondly and laughed, “Of course, my baby!” She took hold of his cheeks and gave them a playful squeeze as the boy fought off her hands, “No!”

“What’s wrong, _detka_?"

Viktor frowned and looked down at his feet, "Mama, why can't I hear my soulmate's thoughts like everyone else?"

Nadia's heart ached for her son. It wasn't unlikely for people to never meet or come across their soulmate in their lifetimes, but it never crossed her mind that it could very well to happen to her son.

She sat on the nearby sofa, patting her lap, "Oh, _Vitenka_ , dear, come here." Viktor slowly padded over to her, still looking quite down and confused. It must've been a shock to dear Viktor, who had, all his life, been exposed to the wonders of meeting one's soulmate.

His mother and father have, after all, been soulmates and have been happily married ever since they first met!

She had wrapped her arms around her precious boy and gently stroked his long silver hair, "I don't know the answer to your question, sweetie, I'm sorry."

Viktor only snuggled closer to his mother's warmth, eyes slightly teary. What if he never got to meet his soulmate? What then? Would he ever have someone to love and love him back like his mom and dad? Would he ever be happy like them?

"But," she started softly, smiling, "What I do know is you always have the chance to meet them."

Viktor slowly looked up into his mother's eyes and hesitantly asked, "I do? How, mama?"

Nadia sighed fondly, "Well, you enjoy skating, yes?"

"Uh-huh! Very much!"

She smiled, "That's it!"

"Eh?" He stared at her in confusion, "What do you mean, mama?"

"Well, if you train very hard and skate well," she said as a matter-of-factly, "wouldn't you get a chance to meet a lot of people and go to a lot of different places to compete?"

Viktor's eyes widened. _Of course!_

"Maybe, your soulmate isn't even _Russian_ , _Vitenka_!" Nadia suggested, happy to see her son looking livelier already, "We don't even know if they're born already!"

"You're right, mama!" Viktor excitedly jumped off his mother's lap and beamed, "Then, I should just do my best at skating and make my soulmate proud!"

Laughing, Nadia nodded, "Yes, _detka_! Do your best and I have no doubt in my heart that your soulmate will be very proud of you!"

Viktor gave his mother a heart-shaped smile, one similar to hers, "Thank you, mama!" He had ran up to her and gave her a cheery hug. She giggled and hugged her son happily in return, "Of course, my baby! Anything for you."

That moment, Viktor knew: he had a chance to meet his soulmate, and the only way to achieve that was through skating.

And if skating was the only way, _so be it_. He would skate his way to the top, and show his soulmate what he can do.

So he skated, skated and skated. Enough to be called a genius- a force not to be reckoned with on ice. And with it, he brought hope in his heart that he would meet that one person meant for him.

He never lost hope. Not once.

 

"Are you okay, _mon ami?_ "

The sixteen-year old snapped out of his reverie and turned to look at the familiar face. Christophe Giacometti, a Swiss junior skater a year older than him, was giving him a concerned smile, "Hi, Chris. Yes, I'm okay... Just, a little worried, that's all," Yuuri explained.

Chris mouthed an ' _ah_ ,' "Well, I don't think you have anything to worry about. I'd say you're going to give me a run for my money with your programs this year!"

Yuuri laughed in reply, "You give me too much credit! I doubt that."

Chris smiled knowingly, "Trust me, Yuuri. I know," he then sighed and waved, "Well, then, I should probably go and stretch! See you on the ice!"

Yuuri smiled and waved back. It's not like he was planning on losing...

He just had anxiety, and having anxiety sucked. You wanted to support yourself and bring yourself up, you know? But then your brain just starts literally stomping on those ideas.

Like you didn't have the _right_ to be happy.

Yuuri should probably stop thinking about this now and look for his coach. He wasn't supposed to be taking this long in the first place.

As soon as Yuuri was in sight, Celestino let out a sigh of relief, "There you are. You're still okay, right?"

Yuuri knew what that meant. _You didn't have a panic attack in the bathroom, did you?_

Yuuri nodded and gave him a reassuring smile, "I'm okay."

Celestino's eyes softened and he nodded, giving him a firm pat on the shoulder, "That's good, kid. Now, let's start stretching you out."

 

If Yuuri wasn't already freaking out, he was now.

It was five minutes before warm-ups on the ice. This was his last JGPF, and if he doesn't manage to at least grab a silver, then...

He clenched his fist and frowned. He didn't deserve to be on the same ice as Viktor.

Speaking of Viktor... he was mainly the reason why he's so freaked out.

Well, his _presence_.

Yuuri watched helplessly as Chris chatted with Viktor. Until now, it's a wonder how Yuuri had never met the eighteen-year old Russian face-to-face, given his connection to one of the closest friends of his idol. He was just glad Chris hasn't figured out his tiny crush on the Russian. (Tiny, really?)

Yuuri quickly averted his eyes and immediately tried to stay focused. _You can do this... just do it like you always do, Yuuri and you'll be fine._

He swiftly went into one of his step sequences, steps fleeting and naturally oozing with musicality. Stepping out of the sequence, he got ready for a quad salchow, only to wipe out on the ice.

Yuuri groaned in pain and immediately stood up. **_Yikes, that looked painful._**

_It was_. Yuuri frowned to himself as he dusted himself off. He could feel the onset of jitters coming back to him, his brain trying to mess with him again...

**_Wah, he looks nervous._ **

He looked up, alarmed. Okay, that wasn't him. _Was that..?_

Yuuri's eyes widened. He had a soulmate! He looked around frantically as he skated to exit the rink. Everyone looked busy...

Celestino handed him his skate guards, frowning thoughtfully, "What's wrong, Yuuri?"

_"Oh!_ " Yuuri faced his coach sheepishly, "Uh, nothing!"

Celestino gave him a suspicious look before sighing in resignation, a concerned smile on his lips, "Alright. Just tell me if there's something wrong, alright? Are you ready?"

_You're up and I'm worried you're not okay mentally._

Yuuri smiled determinedly at his coach, "I am."

He couldn't hear his soulmate's thoughts anymore. Maybe he was busy with something. Yuuri frowned to himself as he removed his jacket. For some reason, he didn't like that.

Yuuri looked at Viktor, who was chatting happily to a red-headed girl beside him. That was even more disappointing; his idol/crush not even watching his skate.

He could only think of the words, _"only look at me."_

 

**_Only look at me._ **

Viktor's eyes widened in surprise and he looked around in an instant.

He didn't just imagine that, did he? He could feel the tears coming, but he was in public. Crying beside his younger friend would be so embarrassing. _He really had a soulmate!_

Mila blinked, "What's wrong, Vitya?"

Viktor shook his head and discreetly wiped his small tears, smiling, "It was nothing."

The crowd went wild as the first skater stepped onto the ice, and the fifteen-year old girl squealed, "Oh finally, it's starting!"

"Representing Japan: Yuuri Katsuki," the woman announced over the mic. Cheers erupted all over the stadium as Japanese flags were being raised in support of the skater and Viktor was feeling the wonder of competition all over again.

Viktor followed the skater's movement on ice. The graceful way he held himself, the small flicker in his hand as he waved to the audience... _it was absolutely-_

 

**_Mesmerizing._ **

Yuuri started, he looked up at the bleachers in surprise. His soulmate was watching him. He smiled to himself. Good to know.

He skated to the center of the ice and got into position.

_It's show time._

 

Yuuri smiled widely even as he was out of breath. From what he could tell himself, that was the best performance of his free skate that he did! It had made him absolutely confident that he could podium this time.

Chris was up next, and he was last. If he managed to get a high enough score this time...

Yuuri picked up a stuffed _onigiri_ and hugged it tight to himself as he waved merrily to the audience. Exiting the rink, Celestino launched into one of his praises, "You did amazing today, Yuuri! But, that salchow was..."

Yuuri chose to let his coach's voice fade away for a minute. _Sorry, Celestino_ , he guiltily thought as he was led to the Kiss & Cry.

Seating expectantly, he hugged the stuffed _onigiri_ harder and buried his head in it, praying in his head frantically.

_Please, please, please!_

_"Yuuri Katsuki's score is 90.32! A personal best!"_

Celestino clapped and whooped in excitement, wrapping an arm over his student's shoulder, "Congratulations, Yuuri! A personal best!"

He couldn't believe it. He actually did good- and not only that, but he also got a personal best. _Wow!_

 

Viktor couldn't believe it.

This kid was so good. Yuuri Katsuki's step sequences were exquisite. So intricate for a kid like him. His step sequences were undeniably better than Viktor, that was for sure!

If he was so good, why did he delay his advancement to Seniors? He looked capable enough! (More than capable, really.)

_Wow, amazing!_

Viktor clapped along with the audience as the officials hung the medals on the winning skater's necks.

Yuuri Katsuki bowed to the official after receiving his silver medal.

This was a close competition. Yuuri Katsuki was so close to beating Chris and Viktor knew that he would reach great heights in Seniors.

Viktor smiled. _He couldn't wait to compete with him on the same ice._

 

**_Wow, amazing! I can't wait to compete with him on the same ice._ **

Yuuri gasped. His soulmate was... a skater like him? He felt like he did nothing but search in vain all day. Everywhere he looked, every person was looking at him.

It was impossible to narrow it down.

Yuuri sighed. _Maybe after the ceremony..?_

"Viktor!" Chris waved an arm as he approached the distracted teen, "There you are, _mon ami_! Shall we go grab a meal to celebrate my gold?" He asked, a wide grin on his lips.

Viktor only looked around, his eyes flitting from place to place, from person to person. Chris was confused. _What was happening here?_

"Vitya?" Chris snapped his fingers in front of his friend's face, "Hey? _You there?_ "

That woke Viktor up. He clung to his blonde friend and whined, " _Oh, Chris!_ I can't find him!"

Chris raised an eyebrow, " _Who?_ "

"My soulmate!"

" _Oh!_ " Chris gasped and smiled wide, "Congratulations, _mon ami_! You found them?"

Viktor pouted, "That's the problem! _I haven't!_ "

"I don't understand?"

"I just heard his _voice_ in my head! I don't even have a _face_ to attach to the words!"

"That's unfortunate," Chris sighed, "There are too many people here... it could literally be anyone."

"I know!" Viktor groaned, "What if this is the only opportunity I can meet him?"

"Was there no clue to who he could be?" Chris asked, rubbing his chin, "Like if he's a skater or a spectator?"

" _I don't know!_ " Viktor sighed, frustrated, "I don't recall any specifics!"

"I don't think you should be worried about never meeting him," Chris said, "If anything, you should be happy you even heard his thoughts. It just proves that you _do_ have a soulmate, and you can meet him!"

"I guess..." Viktor sighed, a smile on his lips. His mother wasn't wrong, after all. He did find out about his soulmate through skating.

"So, don't worry, _mon ami_! You will be able to meet him soon- for now, let's stop worrying about that, shall we?" Chris grinned, "Let's grab some food. I don't know about you, but I am _starving_."

 

To say that Yuuri was disappointed to not have met his soulmate was the biggest understatement of the _century_.

Sure, he wasn't the type who actively looked for his soulmate, but he had fully expected that they would at least exchange a few words, take his number when they had actually managed to encounter each other maybe, not _this_. (Not that Yuuri’s going to give up on this soulmate thing altogether after this, but you know, you get the point.)

At least he knew he had Katsudon waiting for him at home... He was finally free to go home after a season of rigorous training.

_“Oh, you were absolutely amazing, Yuuri!”_ Yuuri smiled as he held his phone to his ear, Yuko’s cheerful gushing ringing in his ears, _“You did your quad sal so well this time! You didn’t even fall!”_

“That was just a one time thing, Yu-chan,” Yuuri sheepishly said, “ _Probably._ ”

He could practically hear her frown from the other side of the phone, _“Oh, don’t say that! You did so well!”_

Yuuri sighed and smiled, humming in assent. _“So, anything happened during the competition? Well, aside from your big win?”_ Yuko asked excitedly.

_Oh._ This was probably a thing he should tell her, right? She is one of his closest friends.

Hesitantly, Yuuri trailed off, “Well, there _is_ one thing...”

_“Well?”_ She asked expectantly, _“What happened?”_

“I have a soulmate.”

_“What?”_


End file.
